Faculty in Genomics and Computational Biology

Associate Professor (Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology) Ph.D. University of Idaho 2005. We collect the genetic data from microbial communities of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other organisms within a host or an environment. We also create the algorithms and computational tools to match them against databases and analyze the results. Our goal is to understand the nature, composition, and function of these communities.

Assistant Professor (Bioagricultural Sciences & Pest Management); Ph.D. Cornell University 2004. The work in my laboratory focuses on unraveling the molecular mechanisms by which plant hormones regulate plant immunity and plant growth in the context of environmental change. We use a systems biology approach to integrate genetics and transcriptomics data to identify gene networks that regulate plant adaptation to both biotic and abiotic stresses.

Tai Montgomery
Assistant Professor (Biology); Ph.D. Small non-coding RNAs and their roles in heterochromatin formation, transcriptional elongation, translation of mRNAs, and sorting of RNAs within a cell.

Rachel Mueller
Associate Faculty (Biology); Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley. Focus on the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of salamanders, both of which are greatly expanded relative to other vertebrate species. Our research combines genomic sequence data, simulations, natural history collections, and fieldwork to answer diverse questions in genome evolution and phylogenetics.

We are interested in understanding how gene expression is regulated during embryogenesis and how it impacts eventual cell fate. We use genomics, molecular biology, and computational approaches to probe these questions in the model nematode worm, Caenorhabditis elegans.

Dan Sloan
Assistant Professor (Biology); Ph.D., University of Virginia. A combination of wet-lab and computation approaches to understand the evolutionary forces that shape cyto-nuclear interactions at the genome level.

Jane StewartAssistant Professor (Plant Pathology); Ph.D. Washington State University 2011. My research interests include: understanding the biology, ecology and genetics of emerging tree/plant pathogenic fungi using population genetics and genomic methods, studying the interactions of plant and fungi that govern variation in host specialization, pathogenicity, and virulence, and understanding genomic drivers of fungal species delimitation and divergence with a focus on pathogens important to Colorado’s forests, shade and fruit trees, and forests worldwide.